Mobile phone with night vision function

ABSTRACT

A mobile phone with night vision function includes a body ( 1 ) and a night vision module ( 4 ). The body ( 1 ) includes a display ( 2 ) and a keypad ( 3 ), and a storage module ( 5 ). The night vision module is disposed at a top end of the body and includes a camera ( 41 ), an IR (infrared) emitter ( 42 ) and an IR detector. The storage module is provided in sidewall of the body. The night vision module can detect IR radiation and provide information of an IR image. The information of the IR image can be displayed on the display of the body or be saved in the storage module. The mobile phone with night vision function can be used for night vision, for illuminating, and for photographing at night. In addition, the mobile phone with night vision function has a powerful storage module to save information and image got by the night vision module.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to a mobile phone, and inparticular to a mobile phone with night vision function.

BACKGROUND

With the development of the technologies of wireless communication andinformation processing, mobile phones are in widespread use nowadays.These mobile phones enable consumers to enjoy the convenience ofhigh-tech services anytime and anywhere. In nowadays mobile phones haveall kinds of functions such as storage, keeping a record of events, gamefunctions, WAP (Wireless Application Protocol) functions, sendinginformation, and so on. In particular, many mobile phones integrallyprovide functions of information recording and photography.

Usually, many users would take with mobile phones themselves for theconvenient portability, and there is more and more demand for higherquality and serviceability of these mobile phones. Some people whoengage with night work, for example, border inspectors, militarysoldiers, adventurers, policemen, and the people often going home atnight, especially hope the mobile phones have functions of illuminating,night vision, photographing at night. However, majority of the mobilephones in existence lack such functions, and only some mobile phones canilluminate by the feeble light from background lights of displays.Further, the effect of illuminating by background lights of displays isfrequently not adequate, and consumes much electricity energy.

What is needed, therefore, is a mobile phone which has night visionfunction. In particular, a mobile phone which can illuminate orphotograph at night.

SUMMARY

In a preferred embodiment, A mobile phone with night vision functionincludes a body and a night vision module. The body includes a displayand a keypad, and a storage module. The night vision module is disposedat a top end of the body and includes a camera, an IR (infrared) emitterand an IR detector. The storage module is provided in sidewall of thebody. The night vision module can detect IR radiation and provideinformation of an IR image. The information of the IR image can bedisplayed on the display of the body or be saved in the storage module.

The mobile phone with night vision function has night vision module, soit can select and get information of IR image and display theinformation of IR image on the display of the body for conveniences suchas using for night vision, for illuminating, and for photographing atnight. In addition, the mobile phone with night vision function has apowerful storage module to save information and image get by the nightvision module.

Other advantages and novel features of preferred embodiments will becomemore apparent from the following detailed description when taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a mobile phone with night vision functionaccording to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 2 is a flow chart for using the mobile phone with night visionfunction of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to the drawings in detail, FIG. 1 shows a portable devicelike a mobile phone with night vision function. The night vision mobileincludes a body 1 and a night vision module 4. The body 1 includes adisplay 2, a keypad 3, a switch key 31, and a storage module 5.

The display 2 is provided in a front, upper portion of the body 1, andthe keypad 3 is provided in the body 1 below the display 2. The switchkey 31 is for controlling the night vision function. The switch key 31is elliptical, and is set in the body 1 below the keypad 3. The switchkey 31 is connected with an IR emitter circuit (not shown) and an IRdetector circuit (not shown), for controlling each of the circuits to bein an “on/off” state so that the night vision module 4 can be on/offaccordingly. Usually the switch key 31 is on an “off”state. The switchkey 31 is pressed when the night vision function is needed.Subsequently, the switch key 31 is pressed again when the night visionfunction is no longer needed, so that the switch key 31 returns to the“off”state.

The night vision module 4 is disposed at a top end of the body 1, andincludes a camera 41 as an image acquiring module, an IR emitter 42, anIR detector (not shown), and a processor (not shown). The camera 41 ismounted in a middle of the upper portion of the body 1, above thedisplay 2. Preferably, the camera 41 is a zoom camera. The IR emitter 42is provided on the top end of the body 1, and it is box-shaped. The IRemitter 42 comprises LED (light emitting diode) bundles, and the totalnumber of LEDs is in the range from 100 to 1000. The IR emitter 42 canbe rotated clockwise or counterclockwise to any desired angle, so thatit can transmit IR rays to a desired object located in any of variousdifferent directions. The IR detector is mounted below the camera 41 inthe body 1, for capturing information at a temperature sensitivity of±0.1° C. The IR detector detects temperatures in the range from −20° C.to 1,980° C. The wavelength of infrared light is in the range from 0.71μm to 30 μm. For near-IR, the wavelength range is from 0.7 μm to 1.3 μm.For mid-IR, the wavelength range is from 1.3 to 3 μm. For thermalinfrared, the wavelength range is from 3 to 30 μm. For good IR imaging,the preferred wavelength range detected is from 3 μm to 30 μm. The IRdetector can be made from materials such as InSB, InAsb, Gan, GaAS,HgCdT, or other suitable compound semiconductors. The IR processor ismounted in the body 1, for processing the information on temperaturecaptured by the IR detector and transforming the information into IRimage information.

The storage module 5 is provided in the sidewall of the body 1. Thestorage module 5 is compatible with various kinds of memory storagedevices such as a flash memory stick, a micro hard disk, and a DVD(Digital Versatile Disc). The above-mentioned memory storage devices areused to save the image information captured by the night vision module4, and/or other information of the mobile phone. In order to achieve arecording function, plural storage connectors are provided in the body1. In the preferred embodiment, the storage connectors are mounted inone sidewall of the body 1. In particular, from top to bottom there is aflash memory stick connector 51, a micro hard disk connector 52, and aDVD connector 53.

Referring to FIG. 2, when using the night vision mobile phone in avisibly dark environment, in which visible lights to human eyes are veryweak or hardly exist, firstly, in step 61, press the switch key 31 toturn on the IR emitter circuit and the IR detector circuit so that thenight vision module 4 can be on accordingly and a night vision functionis started. In step 62, the IR emitter 42 can transmit IR rays to acertain object. In step 63, the camera 41 captures the IR rays comingfrom the object. The IR detector can change the IR rays into IRinformation in the form of electrical analog signals in step 64. In step65, the processor turns the electrical analog signals into imageinformation. Then, the image information can be displayed on the display2 in step 66. If it is necessary to go to step 67, the image informationis saved in the storage module 5. If not necessary, steps 63 to 66 arerepeated. The above steps are a dynamic, continuing process, so themobile phone with night vision function can obtain successive images andprovide the night vision function.

In an alternative embodiment, the switch key 31 is not limited to beingmounted at one end of the keypad 3. The switch key 31 can be in otherpositions, for example, in a sidewall of the body 1. The switch key 31can be another shape, such as round. In addition, the camera 41 can bemounted in a sidewall of the body 1 instead of being in the front, upperportion of the body 1. The positions of the memory stick connector 51,the micro hard disk connector 52, and the DVD connector 53 can also bechanged according to need.

It is believed that the present embodiments and their advantages will beunderstood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent thatvarious changes may be made thereto without departing from the spiritand scope of the invention or sacrificing all of its materialadvantages, the examples hereinbefore described merely being preferredor exemplary embodiments of the invention.

1. A mobile phone with night vision function, comprising: a bodycomprising a display and a keypad; a night vision module disposed at atop end of the body, and comprising a camera, an IR (infrared) emitter,and an IR detector; and a storage module; wherein the night visionmodule can detect IR radiation and provide information of an IR image,and the information of the IR image can be displayed on the displayand/or saved in the storage module.
 2. The mobile phone with nightvision function as claimed in claim 1, wherein the storage module isprovided in a sidewall of the body.
 3. The mobile phone with nightvision function as claimed in claim 1, wherein the storage modulecomprises any one or more connectors selected from the group consistingof a flash memory stick connector, a micro hard disk connector, and aDVD (Digital Versatile Disc) connector.
 4. The mobile phone with nightvision function as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a switch keyprovided on the keypad.
 5. The mobile phone with night vision functionas claimed in claim 4, wherein the switch key is elliptical.
 6. Themobile phone with night vision function as claimed in claim 4, whereinthe switch key is round.
 7. The mobile phone with night vision functionas claimed in claim 1, wherein the camera is a zoom camera mounted inthe body above the display.
 8. The mobile phone with night visionfunction as claimed in claim 1, wherein the IR emitter can be rotatedclockwise or counterclockwise to any desired angle.
 9. The mobile phonewith night vision function as claimed in claim 1, wherein the IR emittercomprises one or more light emitting diode bundles, and the total numberof the light emitting diodes is in the range from 100 to
 1000. 10. Themobile phone with night vision function as claimed in claim 1, whereinthe IR detector is provided in the body below the camera, and is forcapturing information at a temperature sensitivity of ±0.1° C.
 11. Themobile phone with night vision function as claimed in claim 10, whereinthe IR detector detects temperatures in the range from −20° C. to 1,980°C.
 12. A portable device comprising: a body of said portable device forenclosing said portable device; an image acquiring module disposed insaid body and adapted to reach an outside of said body so as toacquiring images of objects in said outside of said body; and a nightvision module disposed next to said image acquiring module and capableof providing lights identifiable in a visibly dark environmentcorresponding to said images for said image acquiring module so as toacquire said images in said visibly dark environment.
 13. The portabledevice as claimed in claim 12, wherein said night vision modulecomprises an infrared (IR) emitter to provide IR lights as saididentifiable lights, and an IR detector for identifying said IR lightsin said visibly dark environment.
 14. A method for acquiring images ofan object by a portable device in a visibly dark environment,comprising: equipping said portable device with a light source providinglights identifiable in said visibly dark environment, and an imageacquiring module capable of accepting said identifiable lights from saidobject to generate said images; activating said light source in saidvisibly dark environment to release said lights toward said object; andreceiving reflected lights from said object by means of said imageacquiring module so as to generate said images.
 15. The method asclaimed in claim 14, further comprising the step of saving said imagesonto a storage module of said portable device.
 16. The method as claimedin claim 14, wherein said light source is an infrared (IR) emitter, andan IR detector is disposed in said portable device to operate incooperation with said image acquiring module for acquiring said images.